How A Trophy Bondurant Ranch Used Pre-Auction Panic To Force A $15 Million Sale

Jackson Hole and its surrounding area are typically a real estate market built for people who don’t have to hurry. 

Most sellers can afford to wait out a slow year — and often do — which is why a trophy ranch that lists in the eight-figure price range might sit for months or even years without a serious offer. 

But the recent sale of a 558-acre ranch just outside of Bondurant — complete with a stocked trout pond, a Viking kitchen, and a cluster of meditation domes — is an illuminating look at what can happen when a seller loses patience and decides to force the market’s hand. 

Called Miner Creek Ranch, the sprawling Sublette County property at 101 Miner Creek Road listed for nearly $20 million in July 2025, before dropping its asking price to $15 million in October.

After 14 months of playing chicken with a stagnant market, the owner decided on a high-stakes strategy not usually seen in Wyoming’s ultra-luxury real estate market. 

An auction house was hired to set up a no-reserve auction, putting a hard deadline on the sale for Sept. 24.

The property was supposed to go to the highest bidder, but things never got that far.

Instead, an aggressive marketing campaign triggered a rush.

Of the 40 or so prospective bidders who toured the property during a 36-day marketing blitz, one decided not to take any chances on a bidding war. 

A pre-auction offer under the $15 million list price was compelling enough that the seller has accepted. 

That broke the 14-month stalemate in a lightning-fast 36 days from the launch of the auction campaign. If nothing goes wrong, it means this Wyoming gem is now off the market. 

Getting Market Price Faster

Mario Vargas, CEO of DeCaro Auctions International, agreed that it’s unusual to auction luxury property in Jackson Hole, but it’s even rarer to sell such properties before the bidding has even begun. 

Buyers don’t want to pay too much for a property. Sellers want to avoid low-ball offers. 

Auctions are designed to sort all that out in a way that’s fair to all. 

“We don’t typically sell properties pre-auction,” he said. “Nor are we really soliciting for that … But the process, the advertising we do, the marketing campaigns we do, the reaching out to our database and personal contacts that we do, really created a ton of buzz. It’s almost like we had an auction before the auction.”

Auctions of properties like this are not desperation moves, Vargas added. They can be smart business decisions in the right circumstance.

“When properties become unique, this is a great way to say ... and you can imagine the listing agent’s difficulty, it’s like, ‘OK, how do I price this property?’” Vargas said. “So this is one way to say, let’s see what the market tells us.”

And, in this case, the answer came about much quicker than usual. 

That’s one of the real values of an auction, Live Water associate broker Latham Jenkins told Cowboy State Daily. 

“It puts a date on a decision,” he said. “In a traditional luxury listing, buyers can feel like they have all the time in the world. An auction creates urgency."

A Wilderness Playground

The compound near Bondurant is about 35 miles southeast of Jackson, on the edge of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. 

It’s anchored by a 4,600-square-foot main residence made from rustic white logs and smooth river rock. It has vaulted ceilings and big picture windows that capture unencumbered mountain views. 

Remodeled in 2020, the residence has four bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms, as well as an office suite that comes with a sauna, hot tub and cold plunge. Outside, a boardwalk leads to one of two geodesic domes. 

Avery Irwin, experience director at DeCaro Auctions, flew in from Florida to manage the property’s auction and admitted he’d never seen anything quite like it. 

“I’m coming from Florida,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “So I don’t see much in the way of hills or mountains. Stepping into this home, I immediately saw the national forest and the mountains in the background, and it was just something that really blew me away.”

Irwin set up his temporary office at the dining room table, deciding it was probably the most beautiful office he’d ever been in. 

“That’s what really captivated me at first,” he said. “The pictures don’t really do the place justice. You feel completely separated from everything else. Our views are just unencumbered. You see everything out in the distance and it’s really quite beautiful.”

Because the property directly borders public land, the estate feels larger than 558 acres, he said. 

The expansive compound also has a four-bedroom guest house with Smart Home integration, as well as two separate guest cabins, a two-bedroom apartment tucked into the loft of a 1,875-square-foot horse barn, and two geodesic domes used for corporate retreats and larger gatherings, as well as yoga.

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.